Ernst hammesfaiir



(No Model.) L

E. HAMMBSFAHR. ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 477,363. Patented June 21, 1892.

my@ m/ W..

'THE Norms Hens co., marommu., wAsNmmou. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. y

ERNST HAMMESEAHR, or SOLINGEN, GERMANY.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 477,363, dated June21, 1892.

- Application ned March 14,1891. serai No. 384,992." (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNST HAMMESEAHR, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, residing at Solingen-Forhe, in the country of the Rhine,Prussia, Germany, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inRotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My engine is adapted to kbe operated by steam or by analogous fluidhaving sniicient pressure. I will describe it as operating by steam. Thesurface against which the pressure acts usefully, and which I will termthe piston, may be of various forms; but I will describe it asrectangular. It traverses around in an annular groove in a substantiallystationary casting firmly held alongside of the wheel on which thepiston is mounted and which the pressure against the piston causes toactively revolve. The open side of the annular channel is covered by anannular plate,

which is attached to the wheel with liberty for a little play. Thisannular plate is held in steam-tight contact with the casting byoverlapping thereupon on both the inner and the outer edges and is heldinto steam-tight contact therewith by an overlapping lip bolted.

to the stationary frame on the outer edge and another correspondingoverlapping lip bolted on the inner edge.l The abutment is adapted toslide into and out of the annular channel as required. It may so moveeither radially or in a direction parallel to the axis.

In what I esteem the best form of the invention the piston is formedwith an oblique front face and the abutment is formed with acorresponding surface, which receives the action wedgewise and forcesthe abutment outward when required for the passage of the piston, theabutment being brought promptly back by the action of a sufficientspring. The passage for the induction of steam is preferably just withinthe channel; but this may be varied. The passage for the eduction of thesteam is in the channel and is arranged to be covered and closed by theabutment during a great portion of the revolution.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification andrepresent what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical section on the line y fy in Fig. 2. This ligureshows the abutment in position for effective Work. Fig. la is a sectionof a portion corresponding to Fig. l, but with the piston in the act ofpassing the abutment which it has displaced. Fig. 2 is a section on theline in Fig. l. Figs. 3, 4, and 4a show the abutment moving in a lineparallel to the axis. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line y `yinFig.- 4. Fig. 4L isa section on the curved line a: 00in Fig. 3. Thisfigure shows but a single abutment. Fig. 4a is a corresponding viewshowing two abutments movvingin opposite directions to allow the passageof a correspondingly-formed piston. Fig. 5 is a section corresponding toFig. 2, but showing the apparatus duplicated. Fig. 6 is a correspondingsection of a portion showing a modication. Fig. 7 is a correspondingsection of a portion showing another modification. Fig: 8 is acorresponding section of a portion showing another modification.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts in all thefigures where they appear.

. Referring to Figs. l, la, and 2, A is a strong casting bolted firmlyupon a foundation. It supports a central pin B and is equipped with asmoothly-finished annular groove ce, concentric to the axis of the pinB. f

A is an exterior lip, and A2 is the interior lip bolted firmly upon thecasting A and adapted to fit tightly and easily upon the ring to bepresently described.

D is a wheel fitted to revolve on the pin B land having a stout pin D',which supports a piston E, which either directly or by the aid ofpacking (not represented) tightly and easily stops the channel o.. Anannular ring G, something Wider than the annular channel a, is fittedover it and is held tightlyand-easily in place by the lips A A2, beforedescribed.

I is an abutment mounted in a smoothly-iinished housing, and .I is anefficient helical spring inclosed in the housing and urging the abutmentinward 'to close the channel t at one point. The bottom or end oftheabutment I is beveled and the front face of the piston E iscorrespondingly beveled.

A sufficient passage or port la is provided connected to a steam-boiler,(not shown,) through which passage steam is admitted at full pressure,and Z is an exhaust-port open- IOO ing into a suitable exhaust-pipe,(not shown,) through which steam may be dischargedat proper intervals.The abutment I covers the exhaust-port Z, except for a short period ineach revolution.

- When the engine is in operation, the steam admitted through the portZr; fills the portion of the annular passage a between the piston E andthe abutment I. Its pressure against the rear face of the piston Ecauses the piston to move, turning the wheel D. As the piston moves moreand more of the channel a is presented to be filled with steam. As itapproaches the completion of its revolution the compression of the steambefore it in the annular chamber attends to lift the abutment andultimately7 its inclined face strikes the inclined and lower face of theabutment I and lifts it. While the abutment is being moved outward theexhaust-port Z is covered by the piston; but as the rear face of thepiston commences to pass the port it is uncovered and all the steam inthe channel a is free to escape through theexhaustport. The piston Emust be so shaped that before this exhaust period occurs the piston hascovered the steam-port 7c and temporarily prevented the induction ofsteam. After the piston has passed the abutment I is moved rapidlyinward by the force of the spring J, and when it has quite moved acrossthe passage and at the moment that it completes its traverse across andcompletely stops the passage d the piston E by its movement uncoversthesteam-port 7c and allows fresh steam from the boiler to again actbetween the piston and the abutment, and the entire round of operationsis thus repeated indefinitely.

The motion may be regulated by a throttlevalve in the passage at anyconvenient point. (Not shown.) The action of the steam is continuous anduniform through a great portion of the revolution. The wheel D should beof sufficient weight to serve as a fly-wheel to maintain the motionduring the brief interim while the power is suspended, which is whilethe piston is traversing over the passage Zo.

There may be provisions (not shown) for adjusting the force of thespring J. It must be sufficient to move the abutment rapidly inward sosoon as the piston has passed. The efficient pressure of the steam whichinduces the motion is that on the rear face of the piston E. Thepressure of the steam against the stationary surfaces is balanced'. Thepressure of the steam against the ring G is received by the lips A A2.The outer and inner edges of the ring G are beveled, and the adjacentsurfaces of the lips A A2 are beveled to insure tightness.

There maybe suitable provisions for lubrieating and for adjusting andtaking up wear of parts. p

It will be seen that in the operation of this engine, while the rotarywheel is impelled in a forward direction by the pressure of the enteringlive steam or other fluid between the straight rear side of the pistonEand thestraight front side of the abutment I the air, steam, vapor, orother fluid which remains in advance of the piston, between the latterand the abutment, will be steadily compressed, because the exhaust-portis during the greater portion of the time closed by the abutment. Thelatter is positively operated only during the brief periods when it isacted upon by the piston; but when the fluid between the beveledsurfaces of the piston E and abutment I becomes strongly compressed, itspressure will tend to force the latter open against the pressure of itsactuating-spring, thus partly opening the exhaust-port for the escape ofthe compressed fluid. I produce a channel t' in the abutment I, adjacentto the exhaustport Z, as seen in Figs. 1, l, and 3, to permit a slightescape of the exhaust before the abutment is moved.

In the forms shown in Figs. 3 and 4t the abutment is arranged to movelaterally or in a direction parallel to the axis instead of radiallythereto, and the bevel on the piston is correspondingly made lateral.The exhaustpassage Zt in these figures is radially inward. In the formshown in Fig. 4f" there are two abutments and two springs acting one oneach, each movin g laterally instead of radially, and the single pistonis made with two beveled faces adapted to act one on each piston. Thisconstruction gives, in effect, two pistons, beveled in oppositedirections, each serving for its respective abutment. It is in a sense adouble engine of the same character as the single engine shown in thepreceding figures.

In the form shown in Fig. 6 there are two wheels (not shown) and twopistons, one for each wheel, the pistons traversing in annular grooves,which are counterparts of each other.` Fig. 7 shows a single piston on asingle wheel. Fig. 8 shows a single piston on a single wheel. In theseforms of the invention a single lip bolted on the rim of the maincasting extends inward behind that part or the whole of the ring whichcorresponds to G, and I consider it the equivalent of the lips A A2 inthe preceding figures. i

Fig. 8 shows a single piston' carried on a stout arm keyed on the shaft.In this figure the lips corresponding to A A2 are of the pre- IOO IOS

IIO

cise construction and are arranged as shown in Fig. l. The arm 'Z2 inthis figure Iconsider an equivalent of the wheel D in the precedingfigures.

In all the forms of the parts there may be other means, as an eccentricor cam, and suitable connections on the exterior to give the propermotion to the abutment. I prefer the means shown in Figs. l, l, and 2.There may be packing on the under face of the ring G.

I claim as my inventionl. In a rotary engine, the abutment I, having abeveled inner face and channel t adjacent to the exhaust-port, incombination with the operating-spring J and with the casting A, havingthe annular channel a, inductionpassage 7o, and eduction-passage Z, andwith the piston E, having a beveled front face adapted to act directlyon the abutment, and with the ring G, and holding lips A A2, allarranged to serve as herein specified.

2. A rotary engine having the casting A, with lips A A2, and annularchannel a, and suitable induction port k, and having an eduction-port Z,arranged, as shown, so as to to be covered by the abutment during themain e'ective portion of each revolution, in combination with each otherand with the abutment I, having a beveled inner face and channel t'adjacent to the exhaust-port, and

the piston E, having a beveled front face adapted to act directly on theabutment, and said piston being rigidly connected to the Wheel D, andwith the ring G, engaged under the lips A A2, all arranged for jointoperation, as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Berlin, this 21stday of January, 1891, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ERNST HAMMESFAHR.

Witnesses:

PAUL KUHNE, WILHELM GRoTsoH.

